Most universities around the world carefully evaluate the grades and achievements of students over the last four year of secondary school / high school when determining offers of admission to their institutions. Whilst at first this may seem strange to educational systems heavily reliant on board or external examinations, there was an interesting study published this last month that validates this practice. This is also a strong message to our students and school community about the importance of the MYP 4 year at MBIS. MYP 4 is a key year in the development of study skills and work habits that last long into life.
In research published by the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research, Easton, Johnson and Sartain emphasize the importance grade 9 (MYP 4) grades as the key indicator for future academic success all the way into University. They have found that the grades of students in grade 9 are, “strongly predictive of eleventh-grade GPA, which plays a big role in college admission. Freshman GPA also predicts high school graduation, college enrollment, and one-year college retention” (2017). You may be interested to take a look at this research here.
Easton, J.Q., Johnson, E., & Sartain, L, 2017. The predictive power of ninth-grade GPA. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Consortium on School Research.
College Visits
We are looking forward to a couple of quiet weeks from university visits until after the Diwali Vacation.
PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10 for all students in MYP 5 and DP 1 – REMINDER!
The PSAT will be given to all students in MYP 5 and DP1 on Wednesday the 11th of October. The student preparation guide has been given to students. Please help your MYP 5 or DP1 student to plan ahead with a little familiarization for the test questions and format as well as in obtaining No. 2 or HB Pencils to use in the test. A calculator will be useful for the math sections. Permitted calculator models are listed in the Student Guide. The following are good resources for both PSAT and SAT preparation:
The College Board website: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10/practice
Khan Academy, exclusively authorized by the College Board:
https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/sat/full-length-sat-1/paper-sat-tests/a/full-length-psat-nmsqt
The College Board SAT App is also a good way to get a question a day for review:
https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/practice/daily-practice-app
SAT and ACT registrations are separate from the PSAT and need to be independently registered through the appropriate websites below.
SAT REGISTRATION: | ACT REGISTRATION: | |||||
SAT Test Date | SAT Registration
Deadline |
ACT Test Date | ACT Registration
Deadline |
|||
7 Oct 2017 | 8 Sep 2017 | 28 Oct 2017 | 22 Sep 2017 | |||
2 Dec 2017 | 2 Nov 2017 | 9 Dec 2017 | 3 Nov 2017 | |||
10 Mar 2018 | 9 Feb 2018 | 14 Apr 2018 | 9 Mar 2018 | |||
5 May 2018 | 6 Apr 2018 | 9 Jun 2018 | 4 May 2018 |
Tim Getter
MBIS College Counselor